Tuesday, September 22, 2015

"I recommend you hardwire the internet connections at your school" Letter from Martin Blank, PhD on Wireless Installations in Schools

A parent read this letter at the recent Sept 21, 2015 MCPS Board of Education Meeting.

Martin Blank, PhD

Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics
Columbia University

New York, NY 10032

July 25, 2014

Mr. Thomas McKean, President, Board of Trustees Mr. James Shay, President-Elect, Board of Trustees
Fay School
48 Main Street
Southborough, MA 01772
To the Board of Trustees,
It has been brought to my attention that school children have become symptomatic at your
school after installation of WiFi. I am writing to express my concern and to encourage you
to review the independent science on this matter.
I can say with conviction, in light of the science, and in particular in light of the cellular
and DNA science, which has been my focus at Columbia University for several decades,
putting radiating antennas in schools (and in close proximity to developing children) is an
uninformed choice. Assurances that the antennas are within ‘FCC guidelines’ is
meaningless today, given that it is now widely understood that the methodology used to
assess exposure levels only accounts for one type of risk from antennas, the thermal effect
from the power, not the other known risks, such as non-thermal frequencies, pulsing,
signal characteristics, etc. They fail also to consider multiple simultaneous exposures from
a variety of sources in the environment, and cumulative exposures over a lifetime.
Compliance with FCC guidelines, thus, unfortunately, is not in any way an assurance of
safety today, as the guidelines are fundamentally flawed. Until the guidelines and
advisories in the U.S. are updated, the intelligent thing for your Board of Trustees to do is
to exercise the Precautionary Principle and hard wire all internet connections.
I know this might be disappointing to hear, as I understand you have invested in the WiFi.
But there is no amount of money that could justify the added physiological stress from
wireless antenna radiation and its many consequences, most in particular for children.
Our research has shown that the cellular stress response, a protective reaction that is
indicative of cellular damage, occurs at levels that are deemed ‘safe’. Many other harmful
reactions have been reported, such as the impairment of DNA processes that can account
for the observed increased risk of cancer, as well as the potential cognitive decline, and
sleep effects that may be due to impairment of the blood brain barrier. The DNA effects are
of particular concern for future generations, an area of research that is just beginning to
raise alarms. As with other environmental toxic exposures, children are far more
vulnerable than adults, and they will have longer lifetimes of exposure.
The science showing reasons for concern about the microwave radiation emitted by
antennas is abundant and there will be a day of reckoning. As I explain in my recent book,

Overpowered, The Precautionary Principle instructs us that in the face of serious threats, a
lack of scientific ‘certainty’ never justifies inaction. The changes occurring at the molecular
level, and known associations with many diseases, are sufficient at this time to give us
pause and to recommend minimizing exposures to these fields, in our homes, schools,
neighborhoods and workplaces. There is significant potential for risk, and to very large
numbers of people, and the effects are occurring nonetheless whether or not we are
noticing them.
I recommend you hardwire the internet connections at your school, and also encourage
students to use hard wired connections at home for internet access, as well as for all
computer equipment connections and voice communications.
Sincerely yours,
Martin Blank, PhD

Martin Blank, PhD, Special Lecturer and (ret.) Associate Professor,
Columbia University, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics.
Dr. Blank is a leading expert in the effects of electromagnetic fields on
DNA and biology, and Past President of the Bioelectromagnetics Society.
He holds two PhDs, in physical chemistry and in colloid science, an interdisciplinary field involving chemistry, physics and nanoscience. Dr. Blank was author
of the BioInitiative Report’s section on the impact of electromagnetic fields on Stress
Proteins; Editor of the journal Pathophysiology’s special issue on Electromagnetic Fields
(2009); and co-author of “Electromagnetic fields and health: DNA based dosimetry”
(2012), which recommends a new way of assessing the biological impact of
electromagnetic fields across the spectrum, using DNA. Dr. Blank’s book,
“Overpowered—What Science Tells Us About the Dangers of Cell Phones and Other WiFi-
Age Devices“, was published in 2014. Read More About the Fay School Lawsuit and Federal Charges Concerning the WiFi Installation.